Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on Preliminary Cost Catalog for Upper C-Band Incumbent Transition

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) invites interested parties to comment on the Upper C-band Transition Preliminary Cost Catalog (Cost Catalog), which is attached as Attachment A. The Cost Catalog contains preliminary estimates of reasonable and necessary transition costs that eligible space station operators and incumbent earth station operators (collectively, incumbents) may incur as they transition out of 4.0-4.16 GHz to make 160 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available to 3.7 GHz Service licensees for flexible use throughout the contiguous United States. The Cost Catalog also includes the payment categories for incumbent earth station operators that elect lump sum reimbursement in lieu of actual cost reimbursement. In Upper C-band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band, GN Docket Nos. 25-59 and 18-122, Report and Order, Order of Proposed Modification, and Order on Reconsideration, FCC 26-46 (July 24, 2026) (Upper C-band R&O), the Commission established that new 3.7 GHz Service licensees will reimburse incumbents for their reasonable and necessary relocation costs to transition out of 4.0-4.16 GHz and directed the Bureau to develop the Cost Catalog.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 200 (Monday, October 19, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 200 (Monday, October 19, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66139-66141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21321]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[GN Docket No. 25-59; DA 26-1049; FR ID: 372721]


Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Seeks Comment on Preliminary 
Cost Catalog for Upper C-Band Incumbent Transition

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of comment.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 
(Bureau) invites interested parties to comment on the Upper C-band 
Transition Preliminary Cost Catalog (Cost Catalog), which is attached 
as

[[Page 66140]]

Attachment A. The Cost Catalog contains preliminary estimates of 
reasonable and necessary transition costs that eligible space station 
operators and incumbent earth station operators (collectively, 
incumbents) may incur as they transition out of 4.0-4.16 GHz to make 
160 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available to 3.7 GHz Service 
licensees for flexible use throughout the contiguous United States. The 
Cost Catalog also includes the payment categories for incumbent earth 
station operators that elect lump sum reimbursement in lieu of actual 
cost reimbursement. In Upper C-band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible 
Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band, GN Docket Nos. 25-59 and 18-122, Report 
and Order, Order of Proposed Modification, and Order on 
Reconsideration, FCC 26-46 (July 24, 2026) (Upper C-band R&O), the 
Commission established that new 3.7 GHz Service licensees will 
reimburse incumbents for their reasonable and necessary relocation 
costs to transition out of 4.0-4.16 GHz and directed the Bureau to 
develop the Cost Catalog.

DATES: Comments are due on or before October 20, 2026; reply comments 
are due on or before November 9, 2026.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by GN Docket No. 25-59, 
by any of the following methods:
    [ssquf] Federal Communications Commission's Website: <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard">https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard</a>. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments.
    [ssquf] People with Disabilities: Contact the FCC to request 
reasonable accommodations (accessible format documents, sign language 
interpreters, CART, etc.) via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#672124245257532701040449000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ce888d8dfbfefa8ea8adade0a9a1b8">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or telephone at 
(202) 418-0530.
    For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional 
information on the rulemaking process, see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew McArdell, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau, via telephone at (202) 418-1576 or via email 
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a7b545e485f4d1477597b485e5f56567a5c5959145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="44052a203621336a0927053620212828042227276a232b32">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
document (Public Notice), in GN Docket No. 25-59, DA 26-1049, released 
on September 30, 2026. The Public Notice includes the following 
attachment: Attachment A, Upper C-band Transition Preliminary Cost 
Catalog of Potential Expenses and Estimate Costs. The complete text of 
the Public Notice, including the attachment, is available on the 
Commission's website at <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1049A1.pdf">https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1049A1.pdf</a> or by using the search function for GN Docket No. 25-59 on 
the Commission's ECFS web page at <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/">https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/</a>.
    Pursuant to 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 
1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply comments 
on or before the dates indicated on the first page of the Public 
Notice.
    Ex Parte Rules: The proceeding shall be treated as a ``permit-but-
disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the Commission's ex parte 
rules. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any 
written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation 
within two business days after the presentation (unless a different 
deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making 
oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the 
presentation must: (1) list all persons attending or otherwise 
participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was 
made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during 
the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of 
the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the 
presenter's written comments, memoranda, or other filings in the 
proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or 
arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings 
(specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data 
or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them. Documents shown 
or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be 
written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with Sec.  
1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules. In proceedings governed by Sec.  
1.49(f) of the Commission's rules or for which the Commission has made 
available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations 
and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all 
attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment 
filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their 
native format (e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf). Participants 
in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission's 
ex parte rules (47 CFR 1.1200 et seq.).

Synopsis

    With this Public Notice, the Bureau invites interested parties to 
comment on the Cost Catalog contained in Attachment A. In the Upper C-
band R&O (91 FR 55281 (Aug. 27, 2026)), the Commission adopted rules to 
make 160 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available for flexible use 
throughout the contiguous United States by transitioning incumbent 
Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) operations out of 4.0-4.16 GHz. The Upper 
C-band R&O established that new Upper C-band wireless licensees in the 
3.7 GHz Service will reimburse the reasonable and necessary transition 
costs of incumbents to transition out of the reconfigured portion of 
the band. The Upper C-band R&O further gives incumbent earth station 
operators the option to elect on a per-site basis a lump sum payment in 
lieu of actual cost reimbursement. The lump sum election is 
irrevocable, and any incumbent earth station operators that select the 
lump sum will have opted out of the formal transition process, will be 
responsible for their own transition work for the relevant sites from 
that point forward, and must comply with the relevant Transition 
Deadline for the partial economic area (PEA) where they are located.
    Actual Cost Reimbursement. To provide additional guidance on 
compensable costs in connection with actual cost reimbursements, the 
Commission directed the Bureau to develop a Cost Catalog and instructed 
the Upper C-band Clearinghouse, which will administer the financial 
aspects of the transition, to presume as reasonable all reimbursement 
claims that fall within the estimated range of costs that the Cost 
Catalog identifies. To this end, the Commission engaged a contractor, 
Teltrium, Inc. (Teltrium), to assist with developing the Preliminary 
Cost Catalog in Attachment A, which contains draft categories for the 
most common anticipated transition tasks and related ranges of 
presumptively reasonable expenses that incumbents may incur as they 
clear operations out of 4.0-4.16 GHz. This Preliminary Cost Catalog is 
based in part upon the Final Cost Catalog that was developed in 2020 
for the Lower C-band transition (85 FR 47209), with adjustments for 
inflation, but it also includes proposed new categories tailored to the 
different anticipated transition steps implicated by the Upper C-band 
transition. To compile the information needed for the Preliminary Cost 
Catalog, Teltrium considered comments and filings in the underlying 
record in GN Docket No. 25-59, publicly available pricing and technical 
information, and information obtained from confidential interviews with 
vendors and other targeted stakeholders, including satellite

[[Page 66141]]

operators and earth station operators, about their anticipated 
transition work.
    We seek comment on the Preliminary Cost Catalog, including whether 
the draft categories and estimated range of expenses for each category 
are reasonable. As mentioned, this Preliminary Cost Catalog is based in 
part on the Lower C-band Final Cost Catalog, and we seek comment 
whether additional updates are necessary to better suit the specific 
circumstances of the Upper C-band transition. If so, what additional 
transition tasks and categories should we include? We note that the 
Cost Catalog is only intended to cover the most common anticipated 
transition tasks and is not a comprehensive list of every possible 
relocation action whose costs may ultimately be deemed reimbursable. 
Claimants may still submit claims for items not included in the final 
Cost Catalog, and those claims will be subject to review and 
disposition by the Upper C-band Clearinghouse as part of its remit to 
prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. Further, in formulating this list as a 
guidance resource, we do not intend for it to constrain the Upper C-
band Clearinghouse from exercising its independent judgment on what 
claims or elements thereof constitute optional upgrades or non-
compensable costs as it assesses the specific merits of individual 
claims. For the initial categories set forth in the Preliminary Cost 
Catalog, and for any additions that commenters may suggest, commenters 
seeking adjustments are encouraged to provide specific pricing 
information for individual items as well as more general information on 
the costs that incumbents expect to incur.
    Incumbent Earth Station Lump Sum Payments. The Preliminary Cost 
Catalog sets forth specific lump sum categories and amounts for 
incumbent earth station operators seeking to opt out of the formal 
transition process led by the eligible space station operators. This 
mechanism will afford lump sum electees the option to: (1) perform 
their own transition work to maintain FSS service; (2) migrate to an 
alternative distribution technology, such as an IP-delivered service; 
or (3) discontinue service altogether. While the decision to opt for 
the lump sum payment in lieu of actual cost reimbursement is 
irrevocable, incumbent earth station operators may elect lump sum 
payments on a per-site basis to enable operators with a mix of 
facilities in urban and rural areas to opt for the type of transition 
that best meets their long-term needs. We reiterate that any incumbent 
earth station operators electing the lump sum will be responsible for 
their own transition work for the relevant sites from that point 
forward and must comply with the relevant Transition Deadline for the 
PEA where they are located.
    We seek comment on the preliminary lump sum categories and amounts 
provided in Appendix A, which, as directed by the Commission in the 
Upper C-band R&O, are based upon the average estimated, reasonable 
costs of transitioning those facilities out of 4.0-4.16 GHz, including 
costs related to the potential migration of service or links to the Ku-
band. We also seek comment on the proposed lump sum amount for each 
category and the methodology used to arrive at those amounts. Does the 
methodology described in Appendix A and these amounts reflect the 
appropriate lump-sum inputs for each class of earth station? Should we 
make any adjustments to account for other factors? We also seek comment 
on the specific filing and certification procedures used in connection 
with the Lower C-band transition and whether to repurpose them here or 
adjust them, given the shift to a per-site lump sum approach in the 
instant transition.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-21321 Filed 10-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P


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